Folding umbrella



(No Model.)

F. G. GROVE 8p D. P. LIIL'LARD.

FOLDING UMBRBLLA.

No. 507,809. Patented Oct. 3l

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UNITED STATES PATENT` Grimes.

FRANK. G. GROVE AND DON. P. LILLARD, OF LURAY, VIRGINIA.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '507,809, dated October 31, 1893.

Application iled .Time l2, 1893. Serial No. 477,305. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, FRANK. G. GROVE and DON. P. LILLARD, of Luray, in the county of Page and State of Virginia, have invented a new and Improved Folding Umbrella, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to improvements in umbrellas; and the object of our invention is to produce an extremely cheap and simple umbrella, which is ribless, which is adapted to be folded into a Very small compass, adapted to be very conveniently carried about when not in use for ordinary purposes, which may be used as a walking stick, if desired, and which may also be quickly raised so as to shed rain or snow if necessary.

. To these ends our invention consists of certain features of construction and lcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of )his specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in al1 the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the umbrella embodying our invention, showing it in an expanded or spread condition. Fig. 2 is a broken sectional View of the umbrella folded to form a walking stick. Fig. 3 is a broken detail elevation, partlyin section, of the umbrella folded into the most compact form. Fig. 4 is a broken detail perspective View, on an enlarged scale, of the jointed portion of o ne of the braces. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the sleeve which slides over the brace joints; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modified means of uniting the sections of the umbrella stick. Y'

The umbrella stick is composed, preferably, of three sections 10, 11 and 12, although a greater number of sections may be used, and the upper sections are hinged together, in substantially the usual way of uniting folding sticks, by a link 13 which ism pivoted to the adjacent ends of the stick sections. The sections 1l and 12 are held rigidly together when desired, so as to align longitudinally, by a collar 14 which is adapted to slip over the joint and to abut with' the shoulder l2a of the section 12. The collar is preferably vplace and hold the stick` sections 11 and 12' in rigid alignment, but when the umbrella is to be folded and the sections 11 and 12 separated, the catch may be pressed in and the collar pushed up so as to uncoverY the joint.

The joint between the sections 11 and 10 is adapt-ed to be covered, so as to hold the sections rigidly end to end, by a long runner 18 which, near its lower end, is slotted, as shown at 19, so as to receive a spring catch 2O held vin a recess 21 of the section 1l, and when the catch enters the slot the runner is held in the position shown in Fig. 1, and the stick is prevented from dropping so that the umbrella top is held in a supported position. The section 11 has-also a second catch 20L which is nearer the upper end of the section.

and is adapted to enter the slot 19 when the umbrella is to be used as a walking stick as shown in Fig. 2. The upper end of the runner 18 is provided with an enlarged head 22 to which the inner ends of the braces 23 are pivoted in substantially the usual way. Each brace 23 is composed of" two sections 24 and 25, although if the umbrella is very large more sections may be used, and the sections are preferably formed of sheet metal pressed to a U-shaped cross section, as shown in Fig. 4, and the meeting ends of the said sections are pivoted together, as shown at 26, so that the outer section 25 may fold into the inner section 24. On the outer section of each brace is a lsliding sleeve 27 which iits closely and is adapted to slide over the joint of the two sections, and this sleeve has at oneend aspring finger 28 which is adapted to lie parallel with the section 24 and which has a flange 29 at its free end which is adapted to spring into a notch 30 in the section 24, so that when in this position, the sleeve is locked` upon the joint of the brace and the brace is held in a rigid position. The cover 3l of the umbrella may be of any usual kind, and it is secured IOO at its outer edge to the outer sections S5 of the braces 23, and at its center it is secured in the customary way to the crown piece 32 of theumbrella stick, but no ribs are used and the cover, when spread, extends at an ineline from the crown to the outer ends of the horizontally extending braces. The stick is provided at its point with a ferrule 33, the lower edge of which is expanded, as shown at 34, so as to protect the central portion of the cover 31.

When the umbrella is to be expanded, the stick sections are straightened out so as to form a straight stick, the collar 14 is locked over the joint between the sections 11 and 12, and the upper stick section 10 is pushed up through the runner 18, so that the slot 19 of the runner registers with and receives the spring catch 2O on the section 11. The stick is thus made rigid throughout its length, and the head 22 of the runner is broughtinto such a position that the braces 23 extend outward at an incline and the cover 31 is stretched tight. The sleeves 27 are then pushed over the joints of the braces, so as to hold the braces stiff, and the umbrella is ready for use.

If the umbrella is to be used as a Walking stick, the spring catch 20 is released and the runner 18 pushed up till the catch 20 enters the slot 19; this raises the inner ends of the braces sufficiently to permit them to be folded down parallel with the umbrella stick, which being done, they may be secured by an ordinary rubber band or its equivalent. If the umbrella is to be folded into its most compact form, the runner 18 is pushed up till the llink 13 is uncovered, the sleeves 27 are slipped back o the joints of the braces, the braces and cover are folded inward as in Fig. 3, the section 11 is folded over parallel with the section 10 of the stick, and the handle section 12 is removed and laid parallel with the other parts of the stick, when the Whole may be fastened together by a band or strip.

Instead of the sliding collars to stilfen the joints of the stick, the sections may be united, as shown in Fig. 6, Where the section 11 is provided with a reduced and threaded end 35, and a collar 36 is used which fits the thread and which also slips over the reduced end of the section 12.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a folding umbrella comprising a folding stick, a ribless cover Y secured at one end of the stick, a runner held to slide on the stick, and folding braces pivoted to the runner and secured to the outer edge of the cover, substantially as described.

2. A folding umbrella, comprising a su1t able stick, a cover secured to one end of the stick, a runner on the stick, and folding braces pivoted to the runner and secured to the edge of the cover, substantially as described.

3. A folding umbrella, comprising a folding stick, sliding collars to cover the joints of the stick, one of the collars acting as a runner, a ribless cover secured to the top of the stick, and folding braces connecting the runner with the edge of the cover, substantially as described.

4. The combination, of the stick, the runner thereon, the ribless cover secured to the stick, the sectional and hinged braces pivoted to the runner and secured to the cover, and the sliding sleeves held to slip over the brace joints, provided with fastening devices to engage the braces, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the stick, the runner thereon and the ribless cover secured to the stick, of the folding braces connecting the runner and cover, the braces being arranged to have one section fold within the other, and the sliding sleeves mounted on the braces and adapted to cover the joints thereof, each sleeve having a spring finger with a flanged end to enter a notch in one of the brace sections, substantially as described.

FRANK. G. GROVE. DON. P. LILLARD.

Witnesses:

W. M. FIELDING, J. G. NEWMAN. 

